Sheriff’s deputy fired upon at county annex in Cleveland

Community Reports

Published 6:21 pm, Tuesday, July 22, 2014

The Liberty County Sheriff’s Office claims one of its deputies was fired upon by an unknown gunman as he left the County Annex in Cleveland around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday. The deputy was walking toward his patrol vehicle when he heard five rapid gun shots.

Two of the bullets struck the windshield of his patrol unit, missing the deputy by a distance of 18 inches to two feet. The strike areas of the other three bullets were not found and fortunately the deputy was not injured.

The incident was reported to Patrol Capt. Mark Ellington. According to the sheriff’s department investigation, the shots appear to have been fired from an apartment complex across the street from the annex building or from a wooded area immediately adjacent to the apartments.

“Sheriff’s deputies and the Cleveland Police Department officers responded immediately to the scene, which was searched but the suspect was not located. This is the first such incident of its kind in Liberty County to anyone’s knowledge,” said Capt. Ken DeFoor in an emailed statement.

Cleveland Police Department investigators are conducting the follow-up investigation as the offense occurred within their jurisdiction. Any further information as to the result of their investigation will be coming from that department.

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“Both the sheriff’s department as well as the Cleveland Police Department are asking for any information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects responsible for this senseless criminal act,” said DeFoor.

To report a tip, call Cleveland Police Department at 281-592-2622 or the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office at 936-336-4500.